


living with the stars

by madryn



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Artist Clarke, Cat Mom Bellamy, Clarke works at an animal shelter, F/M, Fluff, Minor Octavia Blake/Lincoln, Strangers to Lovers, Teacher Bellamy, Texting, modern bellarke
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-29
Updated: 2017-06-29
Packaged: 2018-11-20 22:01:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,409
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11343963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/madryn/pseuds/madryn
Summary: A Modern AU:Three times Bellamy adopted a cat from the shelter and the one time he brought Clarke home instead.(+ Bonus Scenes in between)





	living with the stars

**Author's Note:**

> this hiatus is truly killing me and I hate myself here's a fic.  
> title from XYLO's 'L.A. Love Song'.
> 
> this is also my reminder to adopt pets from shelters & not breeders!! give these babies homes!! be like bellamy !!!!

While growing up, Bellamy Blake's life revolved around the needs and want of his little sister Octavia.

It used to piss him off. The fact that he had been forced to give up his life and his freedom and his friendships to raise his younger sister, all because of the simple truth that his mother was a drug addict. Aurora Blake could not give two flying shits over what happened to her children and that was the factuality of it. The few times a month that the Blake siblings were privy to their mother's presence were a tedious, painful affair. Aurora would prey on their weaknesses, acting like the loving, nurturing presence that they craved; but, the act would only last a week, at most. 

The only thing Aurora Blake wanted from her children - and wasn't that funny? no matter how shitty she was to him, she would always _legally_ be his mother - was their money.

Not to say that there was a lot of it, of course.

While in high school, Bellamy had been working shifts anywhere from 4PM all way until 3AM. He had felt selfish due to the fact that he would not drop out of school to work full time, but it was just something that he could not do; not when all of his dreams, as unreachable as they seemed, revolved around college. But, Octavia never begrudged Bellamy for it: she _encouraged_ him to keep working at his own education. Young as Octavia was, she should not have been a wise as she proved herself to be. When Bellamy told her that, she had simply replied that he himself was a better parent than most despite his age.

But Aurora did not care for any of that: Bellamy overworking himself to provide their next meal nor Octavia being forced to grow up too soon, too quick.

Aurora only wanted their money.

Bellamy learned how to hide his money pretty quick.

He always used cash, too. Bellamy was too paranoid to put the money he earned in the bank. There were too many "What if?"s that plagued him. What if they need to pack up and leave overnight? What if Aurora got a hold of his account? What if?

Luckily, Bellamy graduated at eighteen.

As soon as Bellamy had his diploma in his hand, he scrounged up as much money as could and went to a lawyer. Luckily for him, the lawyer he found was doing cases pro bono. Within a week, Aurora was sent a notice to appear in court over the custody rights of one Octavia Blake. Bellamy was nervous as all hell, but tried to put on a brave face for Octavia (and himself). On the court date, Bellamy arrived an hour prior to when he was supposed to.

Thanks to his lawyer - one Indra Trike - taking their case pro bono, Octavia was able to convince Bellamy to use some of the money he had saved up to buy himself a suit for the court appearance. She had styled his hair for him, too. His normally shaggy mess of curls was slicked back and tamed and he wore an (unfitted, too expensive for tailoring) suit and plain black dress shoes that were half a size too big (he found them at Goodwill). Bellamy felt out of place and incredibly anxious as he sat, waiting for the giant oak doors to open for his case session.

Indra had arrived a short five minutes before aforementioned doors opened. The only words that were exchanged between the two of them was Indra's short ' _I will do all the talking. Don't speak unless prompted to do so_ '.

Turns out, Indra did not have to speak either.

Aurora did not show up.

Forfeiting her rights.

Bellamy let out a tense breath, his shoulders sagging.

\-----

It had always been the two of them against the world.

 _BellamyandOctavia_.

But, now it was not.

To be fair, it had been quite a few years since they had been in the position that it was just the two of them against the world.

It had been a long enough time that Bellamy had gone from a broke ass teenager to a full-grown man with a savings account, two credit cards, and five classes the ranged between having thirty-six to forty kids. Octavia was living her own life as well (luckily still in the same city) with her boyfriend, Lincoln, and their two Irish Wolfhounds named Lola and Daisy.

But, it was still weird for Bellamy.

He had grown up taking care of his sister, even long before he was granted full custody, and when she had moved out of their little two bedroom, two bath house he had not been expecting the overwhelming loneliness that came with living in a house alone.

 _I'm not alone_ , Bellamy had told Octavia. _I have my cacti!_

She had given him a pitying glance at that.

But the truth is that Bellamy _was_ alone. He was used to caring for Octavia, for being responsible for another person and it left him at a loss when he walked through his front door and had no one to greet. Instead, he would be greeted with a deafening silence that affected Bellamy more than he would ever admit. Because, at the end of the day, he _was_ happy. He had worked for his career and his home and to get himself and Octavia through college and he was _proud_.

But, still so dreadfully lonely.

Which, in retrospect, was how he got to where he was right now. Arguing with Octavia over whether or not Bellamy needed a dog. Personally, he loved the idea of a dog; but, actually owning a dog was a whole different can of worms. Dogs were extremely dependant and needed a lot of attention and time and patience that Bellamy knew he would not be able to give. He was a teacher (first and foremost) with a semi-active social life. That did not leave a ton of time for taking care of a canine, especially one that would be alone without a partner.

(That argument had Octavia rebutting that Bellamy therefore needed _two_ dogs.)

But, after a ton of research and multiple cups of coffee, Bellamy decided that what he needed was a _cat_.

When he passed on the news of his decision to Octavia, she promptly turned up her nose at him and huffed out that ' _Dogs are waaay better than cats, Bell_ '. But, whatever. He was sold on the idea. A small, manageable being that thrived in solitude and could cleans itself, all the while giving him cuddles when he craved it? That was _exactly_ what Bellamy had wanted. So, cat. It could not be that hard to pick one out, right? Though he had never had an actual pet for himself, Octavia had brought home many strays over the years that he had been coerced into caring for.

This train of thought led Bellamy into another burst of research as he compared the shelters in his area to each other in regards of quality and care. As he sipped his lukewarm coffee, Bellamy actually felt _excited_.

\----

Bellamy cut the engine on his car, before letting out a tense breath. He had carefully vetted the shelter he had parked in front of, but he was still nervous. What if he did not actually work well with a cat? How don't you work well with a cat, but, who knows? Anything could happen!

(This is why he had asked Octavia to come with him, but she was still upset that he was not going to get a dog and said no.)

He grabbed his phone out of the couple holder, along with his wallet, and opened his car door. Bellamy slammed the door as soon as his legs were out of the way and made the short trek up to the front double-doors of the shelter. Pulling open the right door, Bellamy quickly made his way passed the barking dogs and back towards a sign that very clearly announced exactly where the cats where.

And, fuck, if Bellamy did not fall in love instantly with _all of them_.

A lot of the cats were older, as he had guessed. People tended to go for kittens and left the older cats to, basically, rot. Bellamy had no interest in adopting a kitten, however. He wanted to give an older cat the chance to live out its life, happily, on his worn leather couch and not having to worry about whether or not he or she would be fed.

(Truthfully, he did not truly know if cats worried about that. He had no idea about how the mind of a cat functioned - although, it is an interesting thought.)

"Hello, I'm Clarke! Welcome to Arkadia Shelter! Are you looking to adopt today?"

Bellamy pivoted to see an employee, equipped with tan khaki pants, sneakers, and an 'Ark Shelter' t-shirt, standing a respectable few feet away from himself. She was pretty, of course. Long blonde hair was trapped at the top of her head in a high ponytail and a few whispy strands framed her face and accentuated her bright blue eyes.

"Yeah, I'm looking for an older cat," Bellamy told her, gesturing with a tilt of his head towards the cages of cats in front of him. "Maybe one with some kind of defect? That sounds weird, but I mean one that might not be a prime adoption candidate. I just need a friend who won't be being alone?"

Luckily, Clarke, the employee, took his word vomit in stride and gave him a bright smile, "We actually have an older cat that might fit your guidelines, if you'll follow me!"

She sidestepped around Bellamy, before heading deeper into the shelter. Bellamy was helpless to do anything except follow Clarke as she took him through cages and passed all sorts of animals. Some dogs there, a cat there, a hamster here; the shelter was a mess of mammals (and was that a turtle?).

"Here we go! This girl doesn't actually have a name, but its been kind of a running joke to call her Governor." Clarke explained, before motioning to the cage that she had stopped in front of.

Inside the cage was a large, fat feline. Her front paws were curled into her chest as she napped and the picture she made was a pretty damn cute one. She was a light grey with black stripes covering her from head to hoe.

"Is there any reason why she isn't normally a candidate for adoption? She's a pretty cute cat." Bellamy asked, his eyes moving up from the sleeping feline to Clarke's face. She was giving him a knowing look, but he ignored it.

"Yeah, sorry, do you not watch the Walking Dead? Anyways, we call her Governor, because she only has one eye. The other had some _serious_ damage done to it, the poor baby." Clarke replied, moving to stick her hand into the cat's cage to scratch the back of her neck. The effect was immediate: the cat started purring like a fucking engine. "Otherwise, she's super friendly and loves to cuddle. Definitely a shelter favorite."

"I'm more into documentaries if anything," Bellamy grinned, reaching out his own hand to pet the, still dozing, cat as well. The kitty's purrs reached an even higher octave then before, causing Bellamy's grin to widen. "You already knew I was going to be taking her home, didn't you?"

Clarke's beaming smile was answer enough.

Shortly after the exchange, as Bellamy was paying for the $45 adoption fee, Clarke brought up another good question, "So, since Governor was just a nickname, what are you going to name your new kitty-cat?"

"Do you promise not to laugh?" Was Bellamy's quick retort. At Clarke's sincere promise against such an action, Bellamy sucked in a breath before relinquishing, "Hatshepsut."

"Really? Like the Egyptian pharaoh? That's super cool!"

"You think so?" Bellamy was taken aback by Clarke's genuine enthusiasm. Most people [read: Octavia] would have groaned and tried to convince him that another more normal name would have been more appropriate.

"Yeah, definitely!" Clarke smiled, passing over the papers that came with adopting the newly deemed Hatshepsut. "She definitely acts like royalty, so her name should denote that."

Bellamy's smile was blinding in return. Clarke gave him an answering smile, but then quickly moved into action by reclaiming the cat carrier that Hatshepsut had been relocated to approximately ten minutes prior. She passed the handle from her hands and into Bellamy's own before clapping her hands together excitedly.

"You are now the proud owner of your own cat!" Clark exclaimed, holding the door open for Bellamy to walk through, his own hands burdened by the sheer weight of his new pet. "Have a great day! Feel free to come back if you have any questions or concerns, Bellamy!"

He threw a _Thank you!_ over his shoulder before unlocking his car and setting the plastic cat carrier into the backseat. Sinking into the driver's seat, Bellamy blew a breath between his closed teeth before starting up the engine.

"Time to head home, huh, Shep?"

\----

After two weeks into having his own cat, Bellamy could admit that he may be a tad bit obsessed.

Hatshepsut was truly a regal cat. When Bellamy had guests over (namely Octavia, Miller, Murphy), she took it as her royal duty to sit on their laps and dig her nails in until they had given her the proper amount of love that she requested.

(Bellamy had joked that she demanded pets as if they were a royal tax.)

(Murphy threw a pillow at him.)

But, anyways. Bellamy was absolutely in love with Shep. She was a fantastic cuddle buddy due to her massive size and sheer amount of fluff. Plus, she enjoyed solitude! There would be times where she would just get up, stretch, and walk away from Bellamy, because had had enough of his presence. Octavia totally fell in love with her, too, so. Cats are definitely better than dogs.

The problem was that the joy of looking at Shep was almost too much for him. He had given this cat a happy life where there had not been much hope for one. And, well, he had all of this room - it was too much for just _one_ cat, you know? The cost was no worry either, considering Bellamy made more than enough money to cover himself, let alone _two_ cats...

_To: Octavia  
What are the cons of, say, adopting another cat?_

Bellamy only had to wait a moment before the bubble, showing that Octavia was typing, popped up.

_From: Octavia_  
THERE ARE NONE!!  
GET THE CAT!!!  
PLEASE!!!! 

_To: Octavia_  
I'm just testing out the idea right now.  
I'll tell you if I do, though. 

_From: Octavia_  
YOU BETTER!  
i can't believe u're a cat mom, big bro 

_To: Octavia_  
Yeah, well, get used to it.  
Have a good day, tell Lincoln  
I said hello. 

_From: Octavia  
will do, Bell x_

He was definitely getting himself another cat.

\----

The shelter was a lot quieter, the second time he walked in.

A bell twinkled as he pulled open the door and, in response, a few dogs barked. But, other than the normal scuffling and whining, the shelter was pretty silent in terms of housing a ton of noisy animals.

Bellamy saw that a lot of the dog cages were empty and hoped that was a good sign. Continuing further into Arkadia Shelter, Bellamy once again found himself in front of the rows of cats. He let his eyes roam was he took in the cats of all shapes and sizes and colors.

Most of the cats were younger, not quite kittens but also not fully fledged cats yet. Each cage had an info card for the cat, listing he or she's likes, dislikes, name and sex. There were decorative in a way that was unique to each cat and hand drawn; Ursa, a tiny brown kitten, had her placard designed with the Ursa Major in mind; the background was a mix of purples and blacks and the constellation was outlined sharply in white with yellow stars studded around and throughout it. The kitten mewled as Bellamy stuck a finger into her cage to allow her to rub her soft, tiny head against it.

He let his gaze move passed her, though, to keep looking at the different felines.

> Athena (ง︡'-'︠)ง  
>  — aka: the Sass Queen  
>  — Likes:  
>  • tuna, cuddles, fighting sexist men,  
>  watching animal planet  
>  — Dislikes:  
>  • being ignored

  


Bellamy let out a laugh at Athena's placard, which was decorated with tunas dressed in full battle regalia. His chocolate eyes moved from the info sheet and to the actual cat herself, only to nearly let out an ' _awwwwee_ ' at her.

Athena's sandy coat was almost aggressively shiny as she peered up at him with bright blue eyes. She was sitting up as she stared at him, her only movement being her black-tipped tail that flicked side-to-side as she watched him.

"Back again so soon, are you?" A voice called out from behind Bellamy, causing him to jump and startling one of the cats in front of him. (Said cat made their displeasure known with an obnoxious yowl.) Clarke frowned slightly, before pushing on, "Sorry, I thought you heard me walk up."

"Uh, yeah. I just thought, you know, that Shep should have a friend. Totally unselfish reasons." Bellamy smiled, eyes warm and posture relaxing as Clarke gave him a mock-serious nod of agreement. She turned to where he had been staring and let out a squeal of delight.

"Athena! Oh, you'd love her, Bellamy! She loves watching Shark Week, by the way. Totally up your documentary alley."

Bellamy was flattered, really, at the fact that Clarke had remembered not only him, but also the little tid bit that he had told her about himself.

"Shark Week with the Greek goddess of wisdom and an Egyptian pharaoh? Honestly sounds like a great time, if you ask me," Bellamy turned back towards Athena, only to notice that in his ignorance had slunk to the very front of the cage. He risked a finger and slid it down the stretch of her back that he could reach, smiling as her hindquarters lifted instinctively. "I can tell my history students all about it."

"Sounds like the kind of party I'd RSVP to," Clarke smirked. "And, history? That's so cool! I'm actually majoring in Art History right now."

"Art History? Are you the one who draws these?" Bellamy questioned, lifting his hand to tug at Athena's placard.

"Yeah, I do," Clarke replied sheepishly, rubbing her palms against the sides of her hips. "I thought it'd help attract people to adopt the animals? It seems to have helped. Kids like them a lot and I let them keep it if they adopt a pet."

"That's honestly so cool! I totally have to adopt Athena just to be able to take home her info card, of course." Bellamy said, nonchalantly.

"Oh yes, of course. We wouldn't want Shep to feel lonely, either! You're adopting Athena for the common good!" Clarke agreed, nodding her head and reaching out to unlock Athena's cage door. The cat willingly let herself be picked up and held, all the while giving Bellamy a look with her big, watery blue eyes. And then, Clarke turned towards him as well and he knew he was fucked. Clarke's and Athena's eyes were a matching shade of blue and it was, frankly, adorable as hell. Bellamy was only a man, okay?

They walked to the counter together after Clarke had passed a sleepy Athena into Bellamy's arms. The places where Clarke had touched him tingled and he yearned to be able to see her again.

Bellamy cuddled Athena up high on his chest with his left arm as he used his right to sign the adoption papers, as well as take out the cash to pay for her adoption fee. She was purring, quietly, and at intervals would extend her claws to pitter-patter Bellamy's shoulder.

Clarke thanked Bellamy, rather excessively, for adopting another cat, but he waved her off, saying ' _They're the ones helping me!_ ' Clarke helped him load Athena into the cat carrier that Bellamy had brought with him from his house, before lingering by his side. Neither seemed to want to leave and both wanted to somehow extend their time together.

"You know, Clarke, taking care of two cats is a lot of work for a single person," Bellamy started, speaking almost too-loud in the confines of the shelter's adoption office. "I think I might need your number. In case I have questions, you know. Totally unselfish reasons."

Clarke's answering smile was absolutely _blinding_.

"Oh, yeah, totally! Do it for the cats, of course." Clarke smirked, grabbed a sharpie out of her cannister of writing utensils and scribbling on the top corner of Athena's adoption papers. "Hope to hear some updates on the cats soon!"

Bellamy grinned, taking the papers from her and rolling them up, before stuffing them in his back pocket to he able to lift up the cat carrier. Luckily, Athena was a lot less heavier than Hatshepsut, so Bellamy could easily carry the cat carrier with only his left hand.

"Thanks again, Clarke." They exchanged matching smiles as Bellamy shuffled out through the front door. Clarke waved goodbye to him after the glass door closed behind him and then disappeared back into the recesses of Arkadia Shelter.

\----

_To: Clarke_  
My sister told me to open with  
"Hey, it's the cat mom.", but I figured  
that I should just go with Bellamy 

_From: Clarke_  
idk, i think i could've guessed who it  
was if u had said cat mom 

_From: Clarke_  
how r shep  & sass queen doing ??  
(& urself, ofc) 

_To: Clarke_  
They've decided to join forces to  
terrorize me. Shep steals my underwear  
and Athena steals my socks 

_To: Clarke_  
It's been two weeks and I still  
can't find most of them 

_From: Clarke  
LMAO!!! i taught them well_

_To: Clarke_  
I wouldn't say you taught them "well"  
but you definitely taught them something 

\----  
[ **time skip** : ~four weeks]

_From: Clarke  
omg bell i'm so sad :(_

_To: Clarke  
What's up??_

_From: Clarke_  
u know how we had the  
kitten adoption drive today? 

_To: Clarke  
Yeah, what happened?_

_From: Clarke_  
all of the kittens except 1  
were adopted :( n i feel so bad  
she rlly deserves a good home 

_To: Clarke_  
I'm sorry, Clarke :/  
What's her name? 

_From: Clarke_  
her name's ursa!!  
*[picture attachment] 

\----

Most people would say two cats are more than enough, right?

Well, Bellamy was not most people.

And it was not like it was _his_ fault.

It was definitely Clarke's.

Bellamy stared down at his open iMessages and winced. He might as well just accept the fact that he was going to be taking Ursa home - if Clarke let him. He did not know the cap on how many shelter cats you could rescue. Given it had been nearly a month of he and Clarke texting, however, he thought he'd be okay.

Bellamy pinched his bottom lip between his thumb and his forefinger and blew out a breath.

Octavia was always telling Bellamy to get out of his comfort zone, right? Granted, she probably did not mean adopt three cats while trying to woo the shelter employee but, hey, comfort zones are unique. And, this was out of his. Case in point; he was getting a third cat. Because yolo.

_To: Clarke  
I'll adopt the damn cat._

_From: Clarke  
yay :^)  <3 love u_

Fuck, she was _endearing_.

\----

"Honestly, Bellamy. When Octavia told you to get yourself a cat I don't think she envisioned you to get _many_ cats." Clarke snarked as Bellamy pushed through the front door of Arkadia Shelter, smile on his face and cat carrier in hand.

"Yeah, well, I didn't think I'd be gaining a pretty awesome girl out of the deal either. I'm sure we're both plenty surprised by how the whole ordeal turned out." Was Bellamy's reply as he dropped the carrier onto the floor with a soft Clunk! and leaned over the counter to press a kiss to Clarke's cheek.

"Take me to dinner first, old man." She smiled, gazing at him in adoration.

Clarke moved around from behind the counter and led the way back towards the cat cages, which was (sadly) now a familiar pathway. Bellamy resisted the urge to reach out and clasp her hand in his and instead shoved his hands into the pockets of his cargo pants.

Clarke stopped in front of a cage that had a piece of paper taped to it that read:

I'm finally going home!

It had been drawn in big, rainbow block letters and Bellamy let his face be molded into a smile. Inside the cage sat _his_ brown little kitten.

"I really am a cat mom, aren't I?" Bellamy mused as Clarke passed a squirming Ursa into Bellamy's broader, darker hands. Clarke left her hands cupping Bellamy's own as she raised her gaze to give him a soft, almost loving smile.

"You've got a big heart, Bellamy," Clarke spoke at a tone only an octave louder than a whisper. "And, you make a pretty sexy cat mom."

Her smirk was nearly _indecent_.

"Not in front of the children!" Bellamy mock-gasped, using one hand to feign covering Ursa's tiny ears. Clarke broke out into loud, happy laughter at his actions and grapped his free hand into her own.

"Let's go sign your new baby over, huh?"

It was later, after the paperwork had been finished, that Bellamy had finally worked up the courage to ask Clarke the question he'd been dying to for the last month.

"Do you wanna get dinner sometime, Clarke?"

Her blinding smile was answer enough.

\----  
+1:

Bellamy parked in the familiar spot in front of Arkadia Shelter with a big smile on his freckled face. He knew what he wanted out of this trip and he was more than excited to get it. Hell, he was feeling _exuberant_.

As Bellamy strut through the front doors of the shelter, he was excited to see his girlfriend waiting for him against the front counter. She flashed him a grin full of teeth before he claimed her lips in a searing kiss.

Clarke was trapped between Bellamy's muscled arms as he gripped the counter on either side of her hips. She, in turn, had one hand hidden deep in his mess of hair and another gently cradling his jaw to guide the kiss. Their bodies were aligned from knee to chest as they kissed, noses bumping sporadically as Clarke giggled into the kiss.

"Oi! Love birds! You're scarring the children!" Raven yelled from where she was crouched across the foyer. She had two slobbering puppies in her lap and absentmindedly played with them as she glared at Bellamy and Clarke.

"Don't worry, I got it." Monty told her, appearing from the shelter's office. He came equipped with a spray bottle, which he pointed at the (still nuzzling) pair and sprayed.

Bellamy turned towards Monty and lifted an unimpressed eyebrow, to which Monty shrugged and sprayed him again.

"It was Miller's idea!" Monty defended himself as Clarke laughed, moving Bellamy's dripping bangs out of his eyes with gentle fingers. He gave her a soft smile and bumped their noses together.

"Did you come to adopt another cat?" Clarke asked her boyfriend innocently. "Because I think there's a maximum number of cats I can let you adopt."

"Nah, I have all I need right here." Bellamy smiled, taking her left hand in his right and pulling her off of where she was leaning against the counter. "Besides, I have dinner waiting at my house."

"Please, leave. You're too cute that it's making me want to vomit." Raven grimaced, holding the fatter of the two puppies to her chest as if she were protecting him. "I have children to worry about, I can't orphan them like this!"

"Yeah, yeah," Clarke rolled her eyes fondly before taking charge and dragging Bellamy out the door. "I'll see you on Monday!"

As soon as the closed behind Bellamy, he tugged Clarke into another kiss; this one was much softer and drier, just a press of his lips to hers.

"I love you, Princess." He told her seriously, the corner of his mouth quirking up into a half smile.

"I love you, too, Bell."

\----

(+ A Bonus Scene)

Bellamy was, frankly, nervous.

Not for the first time, Bellamy Blake berated himself for owning six cats. Luckily, three of them were predominantly outside cats, but they still came in at night like clockwork to sleep inside.

Normally, this was not a problem.

Bellamy only had himself and his six cats to worry about, no problem! He had sacrifices for them all of the time. Like when he had slept on the couch, because all of his cats were stretched out and asleep in his bed. (To be fair, this was a weekly occurrence. Bellamy was used to it.) Except, starting today, he had more to worry about than just himself.

Clarke was moving in with him.

Which, do not get him wrong, was amazing! He loved her, she loved him. This was the obvious next step in their relationship. The only problem was that Clarke, well, would not be moving in alone.

Okay, Clarke had a dog.

And Bellamy was worried.

Bellamy's cats (Hatshepsut, Athena, Ursa, Atlas, Monet, Hera) were all very spoiled. It was not Bellamy's fault, okay? They were all rescues that he wanted to protect and care for and sometimes those feelings manifested very strongly. Plus, his cats had never interacted with a dog before, it was sensible to be concerned at the outcome!

By the time Clarke knocked on the front door, Bellamy was nearly in shambles about how anxious he was. He quickly went to open the door for Clarke, knowing she only knocked because her hands were full with Thorin, and was greeted to the sight of her and her dog patiently waiting.

"Hey, princess." Bellamy greeted, leaning in to give Clarke a quick peck on the lips. "Hello, Thorin!"

Clarke laughed as Thorin lunged forward to tackle Bellamy in excitement, effectively covering Bellamy's face and shirt in slober. The blonde walked passed them, smirking, to go greet Hera, a neatly groomed tortoiseshell.

"Come on, Bell. I know you've been worrying about Thorin meeting the children, but he loves cats! You forget I bring him with me to the shelter all the time! He's a gentle giant, you know that."

And, Bellamy could not argue with that. So, he begrudgingly unclipped the leash from Thorin's thick, dark blue collar and allowed him free access to the house. He watched, tense, as Thorin - an all black mastiff - trotted up to sniff at a sunbathing Athena.

Athena's hair flicked back and forth, but she refrained from doing anything except making an aborted swat with a clawless paw. Thorin must have taken that as an invitation, because he plopped on his stomach next to her and became licking Athena's coat.

Then, Bellamy watched with wide eyes as Hatshepsut wandered over to the pair of them and climbed onto Thorin's back, where she prompted stretched out and closed her eyes. Thorin being completely oblivious to the fact that he was now being used as a bed by Bellamy's fattest cat.

"I told you they'd get along," Clarke's smirk was telltale as she stooped down to set Hera on the ground before reaching out to grab onto one of Bellamy's belt loops and pulling him to her. "Now, are you going to be a proper man and help me christian the house or what?"

"Christian the house, huh?" Bellamy raised an eyebrow, before sliding his hands down her back and under Clarke's thighs in one fluid, practiced movement and lifted her into the air. Her legs automatically wrapped themselves around his hips and her arms clung tighter to his shoulders. "To the bedroom, princess?"

"Sounds like a good starting place." Clarke replied, primly, but dropped the act for a startled smile as Bellamy carried her in the direction of _their_ room. "Don't trip on the children, Bell!"

He responded by tripping over Atlas.

\----

_To: Octavia  
Thanks for making me buy a pet_

_From: Octavia  
i'm just glad you're happy, bell :) x_

**Author's Note:**

> pls leave kudos i am a dying writer who is not above begging for validation  
> srsly i am dying here


End file.
